The present invention relates to an IC card connector preferably applicable to devices such as a personal computer and a digital camera.
An IC card includes an IC having arithmetic and storage functions incorporated therein, and an external device such as a personal computer or a digital camera, which performs information processing by using the IC card as a medium, has an IC card connector with a plurality of terminals corresponding to respective contacts of the bottom surface of the IC card.
The IC card connector is used when the IC card is inserted into an insertion slot of the connector. When the insertion of the IC card into the slot has been completed, the respective contacts of the IC card are in contact with the respective terminals. This state is maintained, and signal reception/transmission can be made.
FIGS. 13 to 20 show a conventional IC card connector. A housing 31 of synthetic resin is constructed by integrating an upper cover 31a and a lower cover 31b.
The housing 31 has a rectangular shaped insertion slot 31f comprising a pair of side walls 31c and 31d and a rear wall 31e, through which an IC card 40 is inserted, in the juncture of the upper and lower covers 31a and 31b.
In the insertion slot 31f, the side walls 31c and 31d have guide walls 31g and 31h to guide both sides 40a and 40b of the IC card 40. The guide walls 31g and 31h, parallel to each other, have vertical surfaces in an orthogonal direction to an inner wall surface 31j of the rear wall 31e.
Especially as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a plurality of terminals 32 of metal plates are arrayed in two lines and attached to a center of a lower surface of the lower cover 31b of the housing 31. Contact members 32a of the terminals 32 project through holes of the lower cover 31b into the insertion slot 31f.
When the IC card 40 is inserted into the insertion slot 31f, while guided by the guide walls 31g and 31h, a plurality of contacts 41 provided on the IC card 40 come into contact with the contact members 32a of the terminals 32.
A detection switch 33 is used for detecting whether or not the IC card 40 is inserted in the insertion slot 31f. As especially shown in FIGS. 15 to 18, the detection switch 33 has a contact member 34 of a metal spring plate having an operation member 34a, and a contact member 35 of a metal spring plate contactable/separable with respect to the contact member 34.
The detection switch 33 is attached to a hollow on the rear wall 31e such that the operation member 34a is located in a position out of the center of the housing 31 in its widthwise direction, i.e., in a position around the side wall 31c, and the operation member 34a projects in the insertion slot 31f.
As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, when the IC card 40 is not inserted, the detection switch 33 is in an OFF state where the contact members 34 and 35 are turned OFF. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, when the IC card 40 is inserted, the front end of the IC card 40 operates the operation member 34a, and the contact members 34 and 35 are turned ON. Then it is detected that the IC card 40 has been inserted.
The IC card 40 has a width defined by a standard (ISO7816).
In the standard, as a width H of the IC card 40, a nominal width is 53.98 mm; a minimum width is 53.92 mm; and a maximum width is 54.03 mm. Generally, many IC cards have the nominal width, however, various widths from the minimum to the maximum width are actually used.
In consideration of the above-described width H of the IC card 40, a width H1 of the insertion slot 31f of the housing 31 (the interval between the guide walls 31g and 31h) is somewhat greater than the maximum width of the standard such that IC cards of all the widths H can be inserted into the slot.
Accordingly, if the width H of the IC card 40 is less than the maximum width of the standard, a considerable amount of play occurs.
That is, if the IC card 40 having the width H less than the maximum width of the standard is inserted, the IC card 40 is greatly slanted by the large amount of play, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20.
In FIG. 19, a front end 40d of the IC card 40 positioned on the side wall 31d side abuts against the inner wall surface 31j of the rear wall 31e, while a front end 40c of the IC card 40 positioned on the wide wall 31c side is greatly away from the inner wall surface 31j of the rear wall 31e, accordingly, the operation member 34a of the detection switch 33 cannot be operated by the IC card 40, further, there may be contact failure between the terminals 32 and the contacts 41 of the IC card 40.
Further, in FIG. 20, the front end 40c of the IC card 40 positioned on the side wall 31c side abuts against the inner wall surface 31j of the rear wall 31e, to operate the operation member 34a, while the front end 40d of the IC card 40 positioned on the side wall 31d side is greatly away from the innerwall surface 31j of the rearwall 31e, accordingly, contact failure may occur between the terminals 32 and the contacts 41 of the IC card 40.
Further, if vibration, shock or the like is applied to the connector when the IC card 40 is inserted, a backlash may occur within the insertion slot 31f due to the large amount of play, or the reliability may be lowered.
The conventional IC card connector is formed with the guide walls 31g and 31h, provided on the side walls 31c and 31d of the housing 31, have surfaces parallel to each other, and the interval Hi between the guide walls 31g and 31h is somewhat greater than the maximum width of the standard of the IC card 40. Accordingly, if the IC card 40 with the width H less than the minimum width of the standard is inserted, the IC card 40 is slanted greatly due to a large amount of play, thus the operation member 34a of the detection switch 33 cannot be operated by the IC card 40.
Further, as the IC card 40 is greatly slanted, contact failure may occur between the terminals 32 and the contacts 41 of the IC card 40.
Further, if vibration, shock or the like is applied to the connector when the IC card 40 is inserted, a backlash may occur within the insertion slot 31f due to the large amount of play, or the reliability may be lowered.